Illuminated sign or advertisement.



w. J. BEVILLE. ILLUMINATED SIGN 0R ADVERTISEMENT. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 4. I912. L239,15% PatentedSept. 4,1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

y h zVberm WW w. JJBEVILLE. ILLUMINATED SIGN OR ADVERTlSEMENT.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 4. 1912.

' Patented Sept. 4, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WEBSTER JOHN BEVILLE, 0F HOLLOWAY, LONDON, ENGLAND.

ILLUMINATED SIG-N OR ADVERTISEMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 4t, 1917.

Application filed September 4, 1912. Serial No. 718,440.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WEBSTER J OI-IN BEVILLE, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing atl Stock Orchard Crescent, Holloway, London, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in Illuminated Signs or Advertisements, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to illuminated signs or advertisements consisting of a case or frame of box shape illuminated from within and having one or more of its faces fitted with a plate provided with parts of varying translucence or with translucent and opaque parts.

The object of the invention is to produce an illuminated sign of the above referred to construction which will be uniformly illuminated throughout its whole area, that is to say will not possess parts more highly illuminated than other parts and will further possess the additional advantage that only a small distance will intervene between its back and front or its two illuminated faces, as the case may be.

The invention consists essentially in providing the interior of a sign or advertisement of the above referred to type with a plurality of vertically supported reflecting members which are angularly disposed with respect to the sign-bearing plate or plates and consist of front members which are partly reflective and partly translucent and of an end member which is wholly reflective.

, l/Vith a view to further enhancing the uniformity of illumination of the sign-bearing plate or plates of a sign or advertise ment provided with the above described plurality of reflecting members a gauze screen or screens may be interposed between the sign-bearing plate or plates and the/lamp or lamps illuminating the same, and a lens or lenses may be interposed bet-ween said lamp or lamps and the first of said reflecting members.

In order that my invention may be thoroughly understood I will now refer to the accompanying drawing which illustrates, by way of example, some of the many construe tions which may be adopted in carrying out the invention.

Figures 1, 2, 3, 4L and 5 are horizontal sections of signs or advertisements constructed according to the invention. Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the sign or advertisement illustrated y Fig! Fig 7 a d .8 ver ical.

sections illustrating the application of the invention to what are known as day and night signs, that is to say signs or advertisements adapted to be illuminated either by natural or artificial light. Fig. 9 is a section illustrating a detail of construction.

In all of the figures 1 indicates the sheet metal or other opaque walls of the boxes or cases of the signs or advertisements, 2 the plate or plates bearing the sign or advertisement and 3 the electric or other lamp or lamps by which the signs or advertisements are illuminated.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, a sign or advertisement constructed in accordance with the invention may consist of a box or case 1 having sides and a back and also a top and bottom formed of sheet metal or other opaque material and a front plate 2 provided with the sign or advertisement. Such boxes or cases 1 could be illuminated either by a lamp 3 placed at one of the lat eral extremities of the box or case, Fig. 1, or by a lamp 8 placed at each of the lateral extremities of the box or case, Fig. 2, and would be provided with vertically supported reflectors 4t, 4t and 5 disposed at a suitable angle to the front plate 2. Of these reflectors the first two members, 4 and 4, would be partly reflective and partly translucent while the third member or members 5 would be entirely reflective, the whole arrangement being such that a part of the rays of light emanating from the lamp or lamps would be reflected by the member or members a and a part pass to the second member or members 4 while the rays of light falling on the latter would be partly reflected and partly allowed to fall on to the third member or members 5 which would reflect the whole of the incident rays. The even distribution of light effected by the use of the reflectors 4t, 4t and 5 would be further enhanced by modulating by means of a gauze screen or screens 6 the rays of light emanating from the front of the lamp or lamps 3.

The partly reflective and partly translucent reflectors may be prepared in the following manner: Sheets of glass are cut to the required size and arecov'ered on one of their faces with a suitable clear adhesive. Particles of bright metallic spangle are then evenly sprinkled on to said adhesive, while the latter is still in a moist condition. The quantity ofmetallic spangle which is sprinkled on to the coated sheets of glass will correspond to the relative degrees of reflectiveness and translucency which each member must possess, fewer particles of spangle being sprinkled on the sheet of glass which is to form the first member of a series of besprinkled reflectors than on the sheet ofglass which is to constitute a second similar member, and more particles being sprinkled on to the sheet of glass which is to form the third member, if such third member is used.

Fig. 9 is a section of a partly reflective and partly translucent reflector prepared in the above described manner. In this fignre a is the sheet of plain glass, 1) the adhesive applied thereto, and c the particles of bright metallic spangle.

As shown in Fig. 3, the box or case 1 of a sign or advertisement made in accordance with the invention may be provided at both its front and back with a plate 2 bearing the sign or advertisement and be illuminated by lamps 3 placed at both of its lateral extremities. In this case each lamp 3 would ,prefenably be provided with screens 6 and also with reflectors 7 located in rear of the lamps. Any suitable number of reflectors may be interposed between the lamps 3, the exact number and their nature depending on the length of the box or case. For instance partly reflective and partly translucent members 4 and wholly reflective members 5 could be used.

As shown in Fig. 4, the box or case 1 of a sign or advertisement constructed in accordance with the invention may be illuminated by means of a single lamp 3 located in the center of the box or case. In this instance it is better, especially if the box or case is of considerable length, as shown, to interpose lenses 8 between the lamp and the first of the reflectors on each side of it, as these lenses enable a greater number of reflectors to be used. The reflectors would be of the same nature as previously described, the members 4-, 4c and 4 being partly reflective and partly translucent and the last member 5 wholly reflective.

Again as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, a sign or advertisement constructed according'to the invention could be provided with lamps 3 arranged in two rows, lenses 8 being, if desired, interposed between said lamps 3.and the first of the reflectors on each side of them and gauze screens 6 being placed in front of the lamps 3. 1

The arrangements of parts shown in hori- Zontal section in Figs. 1, 2, t and 5 could be used in the case of signs .or advertisements provided with both front and rear signbearing plates,-said parts being merely duplicated as will be readily understood.

The improvements forming the present inpcpies ,of this patent may be .ebteined for.

.ures ofreference as have been used in the prev ousinstances, will, be .understood without further explanation.

Having now described my invention what I have invented and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is as follows:.

1. A signer advertisement consisting of a case constructed of opaque material and fitted with a sign-bearing plate, a source of light-illuminating the interior of said case, and a plnrality of vertically supported and suitably spaced reflecting members arranged at thesides of saidsource of light andiangularly disposed with respect to said signbearing plate, said reflecting members comprising partly translucent and partly reflective members. V

2. A sign or advertisement consisting of a case constructed of opaque material and fitted with a sign-bearing plate,a source of light illuminating the. interior of said case, and aplurality of vertically supported and suitably spaced reflecting members arranged 100 along side of said source of light and angu- 'larly disposed with respect to said sign-bearplate, said reflecting members consisting of partly translucent and partly reflecting members and a wholly reflecting member.

3. A sign or advertisement consisting of a case constructed .of-opaque material and fitted with a sign-bearing plate, lamps in the interior of said case, plain reflectors disposed .on one sideof said lamps, and a plurality of vertically disposed and suitably spaced reflecting members located on the side of the lamps opposite to said-plain reflectors and angularly disposed with respect to said sign-bearing plate, said reflecting members consisting ofpartly translucent and partly reflective members and a wholly refleeting member:

In testi Tony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witn S$es- An'rnpm ENNIS, J. WoR'rn.

a cents can. by. a dre s: the as es was Washington, D. Q." 

